December 2025 Newsletter

Dear Families,

As we step into the winter months, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for your ongoing partnership and support. Your collaboration makes such a meaningful difference in your child’s school experience, and we are truly grateful for all you do.

With colder weather settling in, please remember to send students to school dressed in layers and with warm winter gear—including coats, hats, and mittens—so they can enjoy outdoor play comfortably and safely. Labeling items with your child’s name is also a big help!

We appreciate your continued partnership and wish you and your family a season filled with warmth, joy, and togetherness.

Warmly,
Mrs. Beverly

Bryn Mawr Principal

Hello Parents / Guardians of Bryn Mawr Students:

Report Cards are available to view digitally in the PowerSchool Parent Portal.

As a reminder, Parents/Guardians are able to access the Auburn Schools PowerSchool Parent Portal here: https://auburnschools.powerschool.com/public/. If you are unsure of your username / password you will need to click the Forgot Username or Password? link on the Sign In page. If you are still experiencing login trouble after these steps, please contact the main office of your student’s school.

The report cards will be attached to your student’s record in PowerSchool and will be available during your student’s entire duration at Auburn Public Schools.

To view your student(s)’s digital report cards, you will need to sign in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal, select your student’s name in the blue bar at the top of the screen, and then select the Student Reports section in the left-hand menu. In the archived reports section, you will be able to see any Report Cards that have been saved and archived for your student since last year.

Note: The Student Reports section is not viewable via the PowerSchool Mobile App – you will need to access PowerSchool via a web or mobile browser from your computer or mobile device.

It is highly recommended that Parents/Guardians sign in to their PowerSchool Portal now in anticipation for this digital release of report cards on December 10, 2025, to ensure they have access to their accounts and can review the archived report cards without issue.

We thank you for your support and hope that the Report Card and the on-demand digital accessibility is found to be convenient for families and students.

Yours in Education,

Mrs. Beverly

Monday, 12/1/25- PTO Meeting 6:30 pm SWIS

Monday, 12/8/25- Friday, 12/12/25- Bren Bataclan Artist Residency (thanks to a Creative Experience Grant!)

Wednesday, 12/10/25- Report Cards available in PowerSchool

Monday, 12/15/25- Rescheduled STEAM Museum (in school) thanks to Westone / NIBCO

Thursday, 12/18/25- PTO Teacher Appreciation Luncheon (look for a sign up)

Monday, 12/22/25- Grade Level Sing Concert Sing-A-Longs and Winter Coloring

Monday, 12/22/25- PJ Day

Tuesday, 12/23/25- Half Day of School No Satellite

Wednesday 12/24/25 - Friday 1/2/26- No School Winter Break

January-February 2026- Great Kindness Challenge

Monday, 1/5/26- PTO Meeting 6:30 pm SWIS

Friday, 1/9/26- SEL Day (in school)

Thursday, 1/15/26- Grade 1 In-School Field Trip Light, Color, Action

Friday, 1/16/26- 1/2 Day of School, No Satellite

Monday, 1/19/26- No School MLK Day

Thursday, 1/22/26- Winter Concerts 9:30 (Kindergarten), 10:30 (Grade 2), 1:30 (Grade 1)- Families invited to attend!

Friday, 1/23/26- SNOW DATE Winter Concerts 9:30 (Kindergarten), 10:30 (Grade 2), 1:30 (Grade 1)

Monday, 2/2/26- PTO Meeting 6:30 pm SWIS

Friday, 2/6/26- Grade 1 In-School Field Trip Sonic Sounds

Tuesday, 2/10/26- Tanglewood Marionettes (in school thanks to the PTO)

Friday, 2/13/26- Captains of Kindness Visits / Friendship Card Exchange (No candy)

Monday, 2/16/26 - Friday, 2/20/26- No School February Vacation Break

Monday, 3/2/26- PTO Meeting 6:30 pm SWIS

Monday, 3/9/26 - Friday, 3/13/26- Robert Goddard Rocket Activities Planned (in school)

Monday, 3/16/26- 1/2 Day of School / Teacher PD / No Satellite / Goddard Rocket Launch

Friday, 3/20/26- No School Teacher PD

Wednesday, 3/25/26- Trimester 2 Report Cards available in PowerSchool

Friday, 3/27/26- Community Reading Day (in school)

Monday, 4/6/26- PTO Meeting 6:30 pm SWIS

Wednesday, 4/15/26- Bus Evacuation

Monday, 4/20/26- 4/24/26- No School April Vacation Break

Friday, 5/1/26- Kindergarten Screening, No school for current kindergarten students

Monday, 5/4/26- PTO Meeting 6:30 pm SWIS

Thursday, 5/7/25- STEAM Night & Art Show 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm - Families invited to attend

Friday, 5/15/26- 1/2 Day Teacher PD, Satellite is an option for Friday attendees

Friday, 5/22/26- Unified Games (Rain date Thursday, 5/21/26)

Tuesday, 5/26/26- Memorial Day Concert 9:30 am- Families Invited to attend

Wednesday, 5/27/26- Memorial Day Concert Rain Date 9:30 am

Friday, 5/29/26 - Kindergarten Davis Farmland Field Trip- rain or shine!

Monday, 6/1/26- PTO Meeting 6:30 pm SWIS

Thursday, 6/4/26- Second Grade Field Trip Southwick Zoo- rain or shine!

Monday, 6/8/26- Field Day Bryn Mawr

Monday, 6/8/26- Draw Your Own Destiny Duane Abel Assembly

Tuesday, 6/9/26- Rain Date Field Day Bryn Mawr

Monday, 6/15/26- Current last day of school, pending any snow days.

To accommodate the Robert Goddard rocket launch at Pakachoag Golf Course, the March half day PD has been moved to March 16, 2026. School dismisses at 12:10 pm. This half day was originally scheduled on Thursday. There is still no school on Friday, March 20, 2026 for teacher professional development day.

A friendly reminder that dogs are NOT allowed on school grounds during school hours. No furry friends should be present at drop off / pick up, or during Satellite hours through 6:00 pm. Please leave your pups at home, or in the car (with the window open depending on the weather). There are people in our school community that are allergic and / or afraid of dogs. Plus, we do not want to have to clean up dog poop from sneakers at recess. This policy is in our school handbook and is posted at the gate by the blacktop. Thank you for respecting our school community and keeping your beloved dog and family pet not on school grounds.

The PTO is looking for donations for a staff appreciation luncheon on December 18, 2025. Soda, water, desserts, and raffle prizes are some of the things you can sign up for. There is even a "shop for me" button where you can make a donation, and the Auburn PTO will shop for you to get goodies or raffle items. How easy is that?!?

Ms. Bush is looking for some donations to help get crafty with students. There is an Amazon Wishlist attached below that will send them directly to Ms. Bush, but you are welcome to get supplies from anywhere and send them in. Thank you for your consideration in donating these supplies.

Please save your toilet paper rolls and send them in. There are lots of fun projects she can do with this recycled item. She is going to need hundreds of them!

Our kindergarteners are true little learners in our Bryn Mawr Community!

In reading we are beginning Unit 4 entitled Around the Neighborhood. We will focus on the people, jobs, and places in our town. This is a great time for your student to practice their address and phone number. We will continue to review the letters, sounds and high frequency words we’ve learned and begin to work on the letters/sounds Oo, Dd and our new high frequency words: you, do.

In writing, students are using letter/sound knowledge and high frequency words to build sentences. It is not our expectation to have words spelled correctly; students should be using the sounds they hear to write words to the best of their ability. We work hard to build confidence and independence in this area.

After learning about shapes, positional words, and addition with numbers 1 - 5, our focus in math this month will move to subtraction with numbers 1 - 5. We have been using terms such as greater than, less than, plus, equal, and sum as well as making pictures and models to solve problems. In all areas of learning, listening skills are so important; you can help your student by asking them to repeat your words and looking at the person who is speaking.

We look forward to some fun projects prior to our winter break. Along with introducing some holidays around the world; we will be doing a Gingerbread Man unit to retell and compare some different versions of the famous and mischievous Gingerbread Man. Thank you for the donations to our Gingerbread houses, we look forward to the exciting day!

First grade is well underway. We are busy learning lots of new things everyday. We are excited to see the progress that is being made in our classrooms.

In reading, students have been working on short vowels, blends, and digraphs. Please remember to practice reading each night to help build fluency and accuracy. Thank you for working with your child on the homework packers that go home each week.

In math, we are exploring different addition and subtraction strategies. Continued practice with math facts at home is very helpful!

In science, we have been learning all about light and sound. We are looking forward to our in school field trip with Mad Science titled Sonic Sound!

In writing we continue to practice Sentence of the Day. We continue to work on writing a complete sentence.

As the weather turns colder, please make sure your child is dressed appropriately. Please label all clothing so belongings do not get lost. We will continue to go outside as long as the weather permits.

A friendly reminder: if you are picking up your child, please have your ID or a picture of your ID available. While your child’s teacher may know you, another staff member or substitute may not. Safety first!

As always please reach out to your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns.

Order now and save 30% on all Bryn Mawr Elementary School spirit wear with FREE shipping on orders $75+. This is the final chance before the holiday cutoff, and anything ordered by 12/10 will arrive before Christmas. Shop Now! https://1stplace.sale/42173

1. Snowball Toss Math – Write facts on paper “snowballs.” Students toss one, uncrumple it, and solve.

2. Build a Snowman Equations – Three circles: top = answer, middle & bottom = the equation parts. Students assemble matching snowman pieces.

3. Hot Cocoa Marshmallow Math – Use cotton balls or mini erasers as “marshmallows” to model addition/subtraction in a cup graphic. (Or make a cup of real hot cocoa on a snowy day, but practice math facts with the marshmallows before enjoying the cup!)

4. Ice Skate Number Paths – Students “skate” with a finger or small figure along a number line on icy-blue paper to solve equations.

5. Penguin Fact Families – Draw a penguin family. Each penguin holds one number; students create fact families with four penguins on their bellies.

6. Igloo Number Build – Use “ice block” Legos. Write numbers on the Legos with dry erase markers. Build igloos adding different numbers, and watching the igloos melt by subtracting facts.

7. Sled Race Flash Cards – Students advance a paper sled on a track for each flash card they solve correctly.

8. Snowy Ten-Frame Mats – Use blue gems or white pom-poms as snow pieces to practice addition/subtraction on ten-frames.

9. Frosty Dice Roll – Roll 2 dice on a winter mat and write the addition/subtraction sentence.

10. Snowstorm Shake – Use a clear jar with number cards inside. Shake, pull 2 numbers, and solve.

11. Winter Word Problem Cards – Story problems about sleds, mittens, cocoa, and snowballs. Share the math problems with Mrs. Beverly and we can create a challenge solving facts form friends.

12. Yeti Mystery Numbers – A yeti covers one part of an equation; students figure out the missing addend.

13. Snowflake Clip Cards – Clothespin “ice clips” used to choose the correct answer on snowflake cards.

14. Hockey Goal Facts – Students “shoot” (slide a puck eraser) toward the correct answer taped to mini goals.

15. Sock Skating- Place flashcards on the floor where kids can skate around in their socks safely. Have your students skate to different facts as they skate through math fact practice.

16. Gingerbread Math Mats – Use gumdrop counters to solve addition and subtraction around a gingerbread house.

17. Mitten Match-Up – Draw a mitten. Write a fact family / number bond inside.

18. Snowfall Spinner – Spin two numbers on a winter spinner and solve the equation. Use winter stickers to create the equations.

19. Frozen Fact Hunt – Hide laminated snowflakes around the room with facts on them. Students collect and solve.

20. Ski Slope Number Line – Move a skier figure up or down the slope to solve equations.

21. Winter Domino Math – Use domino dots as snowballs to write addition sentences.

22. Build-a-Blizzard – Students add cotton “snowballs” to a storm graphic to solve addition facts.

There are also a several printable math games to work on your addition and subtraction facts as a family attached below.